When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in California will have the highest guaranteed base salary in the industry.
The state’s minimum wage for all other workers — $15.50 per hour — is already among the highest in the United States.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the law Thursday amid a throng of cheering workers and labor leaders at an event in Los Angeles.
Newsom dismissed the popular view that fast food jobs are meant for teenagers to have their first experience in the workforce.
Now, the focus will shift to another group of low-wage California workers waiting for their own minimum wage increase.
Lawmakers passed a separate bill earlier this month that would gradually raise the minimum wage for health care workers to $25 per hour over the next decade.
But unlike the fast food wage increase — which Newsom helped negotiate — the governor has not said if he would sign the raise for health care workers. »
